Ocean Reef Club

just not good anymore! have been coming to Ocean reef as members for many decades. I have watched the facilities become less amenable to members every year. it has become almost impossible to get reservations as a member, and hotel guest during holidays. Members now have to make reservations three days in advance, but no more than three days . Even if you are the first one to call the three days in advance, there is no availability at any restaurant on property. This puts those who are in a hotel in a dilemma. There is literally no place to eat on the property unless you want to eat from trucks. We celebrated two birthdays here, but no restaurant can accommodate us even though we were the first ones to call to make reservations. fortunately there are decent restaurants in Key Largo but the roads are very dangerous at night. In fact, my husband’s best friend died on the road outside of Ocean Reef. my advice to those who stay here is that the rooms are about three star quality - they are not clean at all. The area rug is filthy. The restaurants are good, but not available even to members. Stay away-it just isn’t worth the stress or hassle. It is clear the club is trying to eliminate members and they are actually succeeding.

Traveled here for a conference and stayed at the Yachtsman Inn. The rooms are nothing special- large but somewhat dated and there was a lot of work going on (when you exited the elevator or stairs you can to catch their attention or risk getting sprayed with a power washer). Rooms are clean, kitchenettes are pretty stocked with everything you'd need to cook a meal in your room. But overall a bit dated and dark inside. Club amenities may vary by season, but in May guests were allowed to use almost all spaces including the tennis and games club and Buccaneer Island. The Island was the best spot- great pool with a view of the canal where the fishing boats sailed by. Lots of staff running around taking orders for the bar and restaurant. Pricy... but the setting was worth it. There are plenty of activities during the day including fitness classes and tennis seminars. The programs do not note any fees... and they do not mention any when you check in... but I have a sneaking suspicion there is a charge since you must sign in with your member number. Our room also came with a golf cart which was a nice perk! Overall everyone was extremely pleasant and provided great service. We would definitely return if we had the chance!

I went to a YPO business retreat at the Ocean Reef Club in January. When I was checking in, I noticed a $15/night "Amenity Fee". I asked if this was optional and of course they said, "No." So I asked what it covered and they said a variety of stuff..."including room cleaning". I'm sure she mispoke and I asked them to waive the charge. They wouldn't. I object to having to pay a lot of money for a hotel room and then being nickel & dimed for a $15 fee. Resorts spend a lot of time building their "brand" and it irks me when maintinaing and building their brand gets in teh way of making money. As it did here. I couldn't find convenient parking, but they did have an EV charger for free which was really nice. The room is dated. It feels old and it is nothing special. It feels like Old Florida, a little damp and musty. Another bone to pick was that they had a nespresso machine in the room (which was great) but rather than using Nespresso capsules, they replaced it with cheap knockoffs. Again, they are focused on $ and cents rather than the brand. It was confusing getting around and the map did not have the name of any of the locations where we had to meet. At night, they had a buffet cookout with a huge pork (I don't eat pork) At breakfast the next day, they had simple eggs and bacon buffet, but ran out of coffee!!! At lunch, they had a grab and go box lunch (Subway would have been better) Before dinner, they had cocktails without horsdouevres. Time and again, they found ways to cut corners to save money that cumulatively gave you the sense that they were milking this old cow. The walls of the room were so thin that we could hear the couple next door (and we are sure that they could hear us) We had lunch outside on the patio. Staff walked around two-by-two (for protetion?) but no was focused on helping guests. We heard a lady say that she lost her server. We saw a guy putting up his own umbrella. We saw a lady putting away her own umbrella. We saw two servers chit chatting over Excedrin (how much to take). Service was really sub-par. Whenever we tried to make constructive criticism we were met with a "I really don't care" attitude. I called upon leaving the hotel to ask for my bill. They said they would email it to me. That was 5 hours ago. I've now been old hold for 15 minutes just trying to get my bill emailed to me. The room was not cheap and the two day event cost $2,400 on top of the room fee. I would not go back to Ocean Reef unless it was for an event that I felt was "must attend" Save your money and spend it in Miami (or almost any other luxury hotel in Florida)